Out On The Edge Of Time
by Wicked Child
Summary: Collection of drabbles revolving around Team 7. "It was real, it was magic. It was calm, it was savage. Cool as a breeze. Warm to the touch. It was never enough. It was always too much. It did all the things love does, that's how I knew it was."
1. She Laughed

**She Laughed  
**by Wicked Child

And so she laughed, because there was nothing left to do. Tears had finally lost their potency. long dried and useless. Screaming only made her hoarse and gave her a headache. So she laughed, because it was the last thing anyone expected, her included.

The looks she received didn't matter. None of it mattered really. What did matter? She didn't know, so she laughed. She said, rather gamely, "Congratulations." She smiled and she laughed and she joined everyone in their hearty celebration.

It confused him but she didn't care, because he didn't care and she _knew_ that. She knew it with all her heart.

Questions of why were left dormant because she knew they would never be answered, and at some point she stopped caring because she knew why. She knew exactly why. Providing the answers would only bring more grief and she'd had plenty of that in her lifetime so she left it alone and laughed.

After awhile people forgot that she was supposed to be devestated. They took her pretty words and smiles and piled them atop everyone else's, but none could compare to her heartfelt sentiments or her laughter.

Especially not her laughter.

But everyone forgot, him included, but she never could because it was a part of her. _He_ was a part of her, and no one remembered and no one cared. He certainly didn't give a damn. So she laughed because she found it ironic and ultimately sad, her own predicament.

For every life born, every life saved, every wound healed, every scar faded, she just laughed. No one cared that she was dying a little bit each time, not even herself.

And so she laughed.

_The picture you see, is no portrait of me  
It's too real to be shown to someone I don't know_


	2. Goodbye

**Goodbye**  
by Wicked Child

Did you ever stop to think? Did you ever wonder? Could you even begin to contemplate what it would _mean_ to have your fingers on my skin? What I would mean?

A part of me hopes that you have but that's my romantic, whimsical side. The other part knows better and always has and always will.

Emotions have always been considered weak, and that school of thought has been drilled into us since we were but children. I've never subscribed to that school and I've always refused to believe that theory. My emotions have always made me stronger, wayward at times, but strong nonetheless. What about you?

You've strived so hard to bury your emotions, to kill them off completely because you were taught and you believed they were a weakness, that they made you weak. You could handle me being weak because that meant I had to depend on you. You the strong, brave one that had no fear. My handsome savior, so beautiful and yet so very unreachable.

Did you know that I heard from someone, a little bird if you will, that you envied me at one time because I didn't hide my feelings? I was told that you admired my ability to be honest with myself and honest with the world on how I felt and even why I felt. I can only guess at why you would think this way if it was in fact true, but I'm inclined to believe the little bird because the one who was once blind now sees. Blind birds don't fly. Maybe that's why the little bird has it's own happy little nest. Where's yours?

That was cruel of me and I apologize. This isn't the reason I came here today though. This isn't the reason that I let these thoughts take form in my mind. I actually just came here to tell you, that even if you had wanted to, you can't have me. Do not mistake this declaration as one of hatred because I could never hate you. You'll always be in my heart, somewhere, because no matter what you do or have done, I could never hate you. But I do want you to remember this conversation. I want you to ruminate on it after I've gone. I want it to keep you company on those cold, lonely nights. I don't honestly know if you will or not because I don't even know if I cross your mind these days. Regardless, that, this isn't why I'm here.

You can't have me because I'm giving myself to someone else. And no it isn't either of two you might think. I am friends with one and respect him greatly and he knows that I would never just settle for someone, including him and thankfully he understands and accepts that wholly. The other is also my friend, the best really. But I love him like a brother and I wouldn't dare to cross that barrier because it wouldn't be fair to either of you. I wouldn't dare to become something that breaks your bond with him. Because while I know you don't and never will give a damn about me, I do know that you expect me to sit around and wait and pine for you. I can't do that anymore and I promised myself that I wouldn't waste away because it's what you expect even if you don't know it.

I'm leaving. Don't give me that look, please don't. You're the last to find out for a reason, because while everyone else supports my decision I know you won't and you never will because the person I'm going to is someone you refuse to acknowledge as a human being. Considering your past and the things you've done, I'm honestly stupefied as to why you consider him a monster and yet you see yourself as a righteous person albeit you admit it's relativity. I love you, that will never change. And before you even ask, I do love him but this time it's different. We accept each other, we understand one another. Don't even try to suggest that it's just a ploy to keep our respective homes on speaking terms. This has nothing to do with public relations, other than our own.

So here I am, telling you goodbye, in all the various definitions of the word. I am leaving our home, our people. I am still a member of this family but it's time that I make my own. Please accept my embrace this time as it will be the last time I allow myself to hug you, or even touch you in such a manner. Please accept this kiss, and don't rub it off your cheek until my back is turned and no one else is watching you. My ego will forever be grateful for this small favor. Be happy for me, because I'm able to move on and am able to do so with someone who can return my feelings even if he isn't the best at expressing them. You two really are similar.

But above all of these things, please don't let your mask break. Don't let it fall. Allow me to believe that you don't care, that the hurt in your eyes is the product of a neglected child who fears abandonment and not the product of a heart breaking. Let me walk away believing that you're still the same impervious boy that I fell for when we were children. I won't waver if you do decide to show your emotions, just so you know, but I'd hate to think that you're that desperate to keep that which is no longer yours.

You can let go of me now. He's waiting and it isn't good to keep him waiting because his patience is always running thin. I'll always have fond memories of our time together. No matter our separate lives, you'll always be precious to me. It's time for me to let go and start my new journey.

Just please let me go.

_I am a woman in love  
And I'm talking to you_


	3. Unexpected

**Unexpected**  
by Wicked Child

It was clearly unexpected and wholly devastating. No one would have ever suspected, not even their elder counterparts.

He had deserted Konohagakure no Sato, leaving in his wake a broken team; a girl with a broken heart, a brother with a broken bond, a teacher with broken confidence. They were just obstacles in his need for more power. He left them all, determined to make his life goals complete, to achieve what his family could not, to break his own boundaries and create new ones.

The broken team dedicated themselves to bringing him back, becoming stronger themselves in order to help him redeem himself if he so wished for such a thing.

They all knew they would meet again, on the opposite of enemy lines, prepared to do the worst. Three against one. The betrayed versus the betrayer. He stared them down, arrogance and power emanating from his very being, prepared to kill if he had to.

The others stared back, hope, fear, and determination warring in each. Power of their own leaking and bursting forth alternately between them.

It was about to begin, and when the battle finally happened, the end result was devastating.

Three to one it remained, all breathing heavy, decisions playing on all their minds.

The difference this time? The girl and the brother joined the betrayer, leaving the teacher alone.

A part of him understood their decision and that was the part that didn't attack but warned them all. They could never return to their home, lest it be their dead bodies. There would be no second chances for them, none at all. When next the teacher would met his students, it would end in someone's death or all their own.

The three teammates turned, their backs to the past, and leapt through the trees to begin their journey anew. The boys positioned the girl between them, for that was how it would be between them and she understood that better than they did and accepted her new role.

When the betrayer asked the others later that evening why they had defected their answers confused, amused, and appeased him.

"We're teammates bastard and we look out for each other no matter what."

"We always new we were destined to be together in one way or another, the three of us. Your goals are our goals."

"What about your own goals? What about becoming Hokage?"

"What are our goals worth if not shared with those most important to us?"

It was then that understanding dawned upon two of them. They were destined three.

They all knew that if she didn't join, their wounds may not have healed. Their combined arrogance could have gotten them killed. The three of them were complete together. They completed her and she completed them. They belonged to her and she, she certainly belonged to them.

When their teacher arrived back home empty handed it sent shockwaves through the village. Many thought it might be part of some elaborate plan to finally capture the betrayer and bring him to justice along with his blood brother and his legendary teacher. By the next morning they all knew the truth and it was cemented when their village leader said:

"Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura are hereby declared missing-nin's of Konohagakure no Sato. They are traveling with Konoha missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke. None are to be taken lightly. If any of you meet them while on a mission do not engage as they are highly skilled and dangerous. Proceed with extreme caution until we are able to neutralize."

When the Godaime went inside her office, she finally let herself succumb to her misery as she cried for her former student and the boy she loved like a son. She wasted no tears on the other boy for she hated him and the loyalty he commanded. She crumbled a note in one hand begging forgiveness for future actions.

The other hand shook, a necklace clutched within.

_For now we stand alone  
The world is lost and blown _


	4. Severed

**Severed**  
by Wicked Child

The bond they had shared truly was severed that day.

Uchiha could never go back to his home, never receive the love he had once deserved, and he could never repair that bond he once had with a boy who's blood was not of his own.

Uzumaki could never go back to trusting his teammate, could never admire him or want to be him, and he could never have the brother he had always wanted in a boy who's blood was not his own.

Uchiha thought he was merely severing his ties to the village that raised him, coddled him, and helped keep him sane for nearly thirteen years.

Uzumaki thought he could prevent such an act of defiance and betrayal because he knew he couldn't sever ties to the village that shunned him, berated him, and tested his sanity for nearly thirteen years.

Uchiha knew he was walking toward darkness and his destiny.

Uzumaki knew that everything ended in darkness, as that was a human's destiny.

For nearly three years Uchiha trained and suffered under the tutelage of Orochimaru in order to kill another Uchiha.

For nearly three years Uzumaki trained and suffered under the tutelage of Jiraiya in order to kill one Uchiha and bring the other back.

After those three years Uchiha believed he had his chance.

After those three years Uzumaki believed his own chance never existed.

Never did Uchiha think that, in the end, his chance would be stolen from him.

Never did Uzumaki think that, in the end, he would have to kill both Uchiha's.

And when Uchiha asked Uzumaki why the other boy had taken the actions he had, he didn't like the answer.

And when Uzumaki answered it was because he loved the Uchiha enough to kill him to prevent further death, he didn't like his own truth.

Uchiha never imagined that, in his dying moments, he would see Uzumaki embraced and kissed by a tearful Haruno.

Uzumaki never imagined that, in his dying moments, he would see Uchiha embraced and kissed by a tearful Haruno.

Haruno never imagined that, in their dying moments, she would never be able to save them nor that she would place both their heads in her lap.

And when Haruno was asked why, she answered that she didn't know but only knew that she had to end their pain.

Never did Haruno think that, in the end, she would have to bury her two teammates.

For nearly three years Haruno trained and suffered under the tutelage of Tsunade in order to save an Uchiha and Uzumaki.

After those three years Haruno believed her chance had long since passed.

Haruno knew that darkness and destiny and twisted the lives of those she loved so completely that she too was affected.

Haruno though she could prevent one boy from succumbing to his own private hell while preventing another boy from following the same path because he thought he had to keep a promise to a girl from a village that had teased her, taught her, and split her sanity in two.

Haruno could never go back to being a member of Team Seven, could never hold on to her hope, and could never fully give the love she harbored for both boys.

The bond they had shared truly was severed that day, and a lone girl was the only one left to pick up the pieces.

_ There's a heaven above you baby  
And don't you cry tonight _


	5. Stupid Rumors

**Stupid Rumors**  
by Wicked Child_  
_

_Genius_ they had all said.

_Number one rookie in his class _they had touted.

And yet they couldn't wrap their minds around his latest decision, not that they had been able to any other time. But this one, this decision certainly baffled the village in its simplicity.

He wanted to restore his clan, an ambition that had him secretly pegged as a closet pervert worse than the likes of the Toad Hermit. It was certainly a rather enormous ambition, which was why his choice for a wife was seemingly the beginnings of the end of his clan. It had already been a year since the wedding and yet no bouncing ball of Uchiha to be seen.

Now, there was nothing wrong with her per say, and she had been his teammate and everyone knew of her absolute devotion. But her hips were far too narrow, and she was such a busy kunoichi with all the healing she had to do on missions or at the hospital. It would be difficult to begin a family with such a busy woman. Not to mention that he was in high demand as well. Oh and best not to forget that she didn't come from some prestigious clan at all. And her forehead was rather big. Did she even have any real power? Sure she trained with the Godaime but did that actually _mean_ anything?

He clearly wasn't stupid but some villagers wondered as they watched the pair walking toward the Hokage's building. His face remained as stoic as ever while she talked animatedly about this, that, and such. Sometimes he smirked at whatever comment she made, but ultimately he didn't bother with anything around him. Sure he made sure she didn't run into anything as she paid more attention to him than where she was going, but other than that...

Several of the male villagers didn't understand at all. They were willing to admit he was drop dead gorgeous, freaky eyes on or not. But if she were their wife, they'd have had her flat on her back and fat with child before anyone could say _Chidori_! This non-development in their marriage made some people think that the man wasn't up to par in some areas. Of course they didn't know for sure but someone's-brother's-wife's-cousin's-aunt's-second husband's-niece's boyfriend's-dad had seen him in a bathhouse and the Uchiha clan were well known only for their eyes for a reason. This was all speculation, as the only person to have seen him nude was his wife. Supposedly. Hell, people weren't all that sure that the former number one rookie actually wanted to restore anything.

They were wrong, but then, in his eyes everyone else in the village was severely mentally incapacitated. He knew how gorgeous his wife was, and he let her know whenever he could. That usually consisted of her being flat on her back with him somewhere above. No bouncing ball of Uchiha was a conscious decision between both man and wife; they wanted to enjoy each other before tending to parental duties. The villagers had no idea that their first date was spontaneous, stemming from a blunt and unexpected comment he made_ ('I'm horny' _to which she blinked and said, '_I'm hungry.')_. Upon further reflection he had decided that was a good thing; the villagers didn't need to know he really was a closet pervert worse than his former teacher, the Toad Hermit, and the current Hokage combined.

And had those idiotic villagers paid attention, they would have noticed that his forehead wasn't exactly tiny either. His clan was known for their eyes for a reason as it pertained to the shinobi arts whereas other bodily parts were not. He mentally stewed at the rumors regarding his...manliness. No one could have possibly seen him at a bathhouse unless they snuck into the Uchiha compound, which if they had, he would have eviscerated the offending person and used the entrails to fertilize his wife's growing garden. He was a private person, only using a public bathhouse when absolutely necessary.

Her hips were narrow but they were still well suited to bearing children. She was busy because she _had_ trained with the Godaime, which meant that her exceptional skills were in high demand. Did they ever bother to pay attention to the fact that she had surpassed that Hokage in the healing arts? Fools, all of them. And he only kept a stoic facade because that was just him. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was uninterested in his surroundings or the fact that his wife's breasts tended to jiggle a little when she walked, talked, and used her arms to express her feelings all at the same time.

Did she have power? He smirked again as they passed the threshold of the Hokage's building. She looked weak, but he knew better. Long had she held sway over him, and only recently did she realize it.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He just smirked and continued his way toward the Hokage's office. None of the lesser shinobi in the reception hall would ever admit to seeing Uchiha Sasuke goose Haruno Sakura as she bent over to sign the guestbook for the both of them.

_Look at all these rumors  
Surrounding me everyday  
_


	6. Normal

**Normal**  
by Wicked Child 

She had never given much thought to the existence of aliens or extraterrestrial anything at any point in her life. In fact she hadn't ever given it a thought. But as she faced her adversary, she began to wonder if there truly was life on other planets that had decided to take residence on hers.

Because there was no way in hell--well maybe hell but surely not by God's hand--that a relatively normal human being could ever look like _that_ or act like _that_. She understood eccentricities, Rock Lee was a good friend after all and through him she had spent time with Maito Gai and she had even spent a moment or to being talked to by Orochimaru, but this went beyond normal eccentricity. It actually hurt her head to try to comprehend who she was dealing with. She didn't like that at all.

A glance over to Naruto told her that he was having some of the same thoughts as she. Their combined adversary was, for lack of a better term, a freak among freaks. Blue eyes meet green and a silent understanding passed between them, but Naruto wanted to be certain it seemed.

"Sakura-chan, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She nodded. "I think so."

"That blond guy sure reminds me of Ino."

Had one Haruno Sakura been eating or drinking, she surely would have choked to death from such a statement because that wasn't what she was thinking in the least. Saliva would have to do this time around. Although, now that she thought about it, he could have been Ino's older brother in some distant alien freak land thing. Boy, that would sure piss off the other girl if she ever found out. Sakura made a mental note to do just that.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Concern from her former sensei, typical in that he didn't bother to even look at her to see if she was in fact okay or what was wrong in the first place. Sometimes she did hate Kakashi but that was when she was having a pity party for one but right then was neither the time nor place. So she settled for annoyance, to whom she wasn't even sure herself.

"Yes. I just didn't expect Naruto to say that."

At this little revelation of sorts, Naruto took upon his usual "_I am _so_ confused but I'll let you think that I'm thinking"_ face and cocked his head to the side. "What were you thinking then?"

Irritated by her teammate's lack of mental synchronicity with her, Sakura decided to tell him, despite the fact that they _were_ in Land of the Weird to save one unconscious Kazekage from death by super suction or being eaten by one large fugly bird. "I was thinking that, it's kinda scary that Uchiha Itachi is pretty damn normal compared to everyone else we've met in the Akatsuki!"

Realization dawned then upon the "_Don't call me a kitsune"_ boy and he nodded in agreement. "Who would have thought that slaughtering your family could make you normal?"

Kakashi had to agree and did his best to hide the smirk that threatened to slip through because this was a serious situation dammit. Chiyo just wanted to slap her grandson around before she kicked his ass back to Sand.

Sasori just wanted to get the Kyuubi boy, kill the others, and show up Itachi once and for all. Deidara wanted to know who Ino was and why he of all people was considered not normal. Oh and to show up Itachi too.

Gaara just wanted to get back to his normal state and take a shower. And kill the Akatsuki. As he was in limbo at the moment all he could say to his supposed saviors was, "Um, need saving now. Almost dead. Who cares who's a freak here?" It then turned into, "I'm a freak. I've always been a freak. Besides what's normal anyway? It's so overrated you know."

It was a good thing, even in his own limbo mind, that no one heard him because the conversation deteriorated from there.

Had Itachi been available for comment, and to _not_ be shown up by his "compatriots," he would have had to agree with Sakura's statement. Oh how he could lament for hours if not weeks on being the only truly normal member of the terrorist organization that even Orochimaru left because some of the others were just a little too weird for his tastes. Because to Itachi, he was a sore thumb that stuck out grievously when in the company of the others. But when he thought about it, and let's be truthful he thought about it _a lot_, it was better for him to be considered normal than as what the others were thought. It did wonders for his sex life.

"Pst. Sakura-chan!" was whispered with great urgency.

"What Naruto?" was hissed back with even greater urgency.

"If you think about it, what with the curse seal and transforming and all that, Itachi is even more normal than Sasuke." Naruto was silent momentarily before adding, "Guess he really is more special."

_Express yourself, it can't be wrong_


End file.
